Comcast Is Acquiring Video Ad Company FreeWheel For $320 Million

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Over the years, FreeWheel has become the go-to ad-serving platform for many TV networks that stream their content online. And it’s about to become part of one of the biggest distributors of content online and off.

That’s because FreeWheel is about to be acquired by Comcast, our sources say. The deal, which should be announced soon, is rumored to be priced at around $320 million, according to one source. (UPDATE: A source close to the situation confirms the deal is nearly completed, but financial terms haven’t yet been finalized.)

FreeWheel is one of the largest platforms used by TV networks and major video distributors to serve ads alongside their content online. Since being founded in 2007, the company has racked up clients that include MLB.tv, ESPN, FOX, NBC Universal, Sky, Turner, and VEVO, among others.

Recently, it also signed up Amazon to begin serving ads alongside its streaming videos.

Comcast, of course, is interested in owning the technology for its own video ad platform. That said, FreeWheel is expected to continue serving outside clients, particularly the networks that the cable company has partnered with for its own TV Everywhere services.

An acquisition by Comcast might seem like a conflict of interest among some of FreeWheel’s customers — in particular satellite TV provider DirecTV, which is a competitor to Comcast and an investor in FreeWheel.

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CrunchBase

OverviewFreeWheel manages the economics of content for the enterprise-class world of entertainment, offering technical infrastructure for revenue rights management and business operations, wrapped in advisory services.
Founded and led by a team of executives from the world’s leading technology companies, FreeWheel’s solutions have already armed companies like ABC, AOL, DIRECTV, ESPN, NBC Universal, Sky, …

OverviewCMCSA is a type of publicly traded stocks of Comcast, a mass media and communications company that provides cable, entertainment, and communication products and services.
It is a class A common stock traded in NASDAQ. CMCSA offers voting rights of .1323 votes per share.